What Really Happened
by Holly Marie Fowl
Summary: A threeshot of fluff, embarrassment, and revenge. This is the true account of what really happened in The Time Paradox. Spoilers. T for safety.
1. Fluffy

**Intro/AN**

So, I was rereading The Time Paradox for the millionth time the other day. At about page 179, I realized that I wasn't paying attention to the book. I was daydreaming about what I think should have happened here. So, I decided to write it down. Then, I figured okay, so I'll edit it a bit and put it on. So, this is it. Let me give you a warning, though, before I get flamed. This little oneshot is for coinshippers, and coinshippers only. Coinshipping is another term for H/A shipping. I got the term from seleenermparis.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own this. The books belong to a genius by the name of Eoin Colfer.

When it's in (Parentheses) and italics, that means it's actually from the book, and I didn't write it. I'm starting on page 179. If you don't understand now, you'll see.

Please do not flame, but reviews would be lovely. : )

Enjoy,

Holly Marie Fowl

**What Really Happened **

_("What a species," he commented. "If they could take their minds off their stomachs for a few minutes, they could rule the world."_

_Holly climbed onto the hood of the car, rested her back against the windshield, feeling the sun on her cheeks._

_"Maybe they don't want to rule the world. Maybe that's just you, Arty."_

Arty.

_Guilt gnawed at Artemis's stomach. He gazed at Holly's fine familiar features and realized that he couldn't keep lying to her any longer._

_"It's a pity we had to steal this car," continued Holly, eyes closed. "But the note we left was clear enough. The owner should find it without a problem."  
Artemis didn't feel so bad about the car. He had bigger nails in his coffin._

_"Yes, the car," he said absently._

I need to tell her. I have to tell her.

_Artemis put a toe on the Mini's front tire and climbed onto the hood beside Holly. He sat there for a few minutes, concentrating on the experience. Storing it away._

_Holly glanced at him sitting next to her. "Sorry about earlier. You know, the thing."  
"The kiss?"_

_Holly closed her eyes. "Yes. I don't know what's happening to me. We're not even from the same species. And when we go back, we will be ourselves again." Holly covered her face with her free hand. "Listen to me. Babbling. The LEP's first female captain. That time stream has turned me into what you would call a teenager again."_

_It was true. Holly was different: the time stream had brought them closer together._

_"What if I'm stuck like this? That wouldn't be so bad, would it?")_

_I have to tell her soon. There's no doubt about that. Maybe. . . _

Before he lost his nerve, he leaned down and kissed her. It was supposed to be short [no pun intended], but the minute their lips touched each other's, something changed. Neither one was sure whether this was just them noticing what had changed since they went back in time or if the change was happening right now. At this very piece of time. Something, whatever it was, clicked and a whole flood of unnoticed feelings flooded in.

Her arms went around his neck and pulled him closer, so that he was on top of her. By instinct, his tongue brushed against her lips. She obliged, and tangled her hands in his hair. . . .

Captain Trouble Kelp just happened to be flying off on a mission when he saw the car parked so close to Tara. He froze- or at least stopped in midair, literally. He flew a little bit closer. That was when he was able to see two people "making out" on the hood of a Mini Cooper. The guy on top had raven black hair. The girl on bottom looked a heck-of-a-lot like Captain Holly Short. Only, a human. Wait, did that girl have pointed ears?

He flew closer, but still couldn't see her ears.

_Oh, whatever. Holly is in Hamburg, anyway. I must be losing my mind. Crazy humans always look for places to kiss like that. Really they shouldn't do that in public, _he thought, and flew off disgustedly.

They broke apart and just stared at each other, breathing really hard.

"I-" Holly started, but she stopped. She had no clue what to say.

"Sorry. You can kill me for that later," Artemis muttered.

"Why would I kill you?" she smiled and took his hand. She wouldn't be smiling when he told her what he had to say. They both sat up.

("_You didn't infect my mother. I did it. It was me. I had a few sparks left over from the tunnel, and I made my parents forget I'd been missing for three years. I had to do it, Holly. Mother is dying. . .will be dying. I needed to be certain of your help. . . .Please understand. . .If there had been another way Holly, believe me.) _I'm really, really sorry." The shock and betrayal written on her face made Artemis cringe.

"You know, you picked a really bad time to tell me," she said quietly and sadly.

"I was going to tell you, but then I realized. . ." At this point, he paused. Her eyes widened a little bit, imagining what he had been about to say. "Look, I'd like to say I'm sorry for kissing you, but I think I've lied way too much to you. I really am sorry for lying to you." He had stopped looking her in the eye after he saw her face when he had finished telling her the truth.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you're sorry," she put her hand under his chin and made him face her. He took both of her hands into his, pulled her off the car, kneeled down, and looked her in the eyes. If anyone was watching, it would look like he was proposing. She rolled her eyes.

"Captain Holly Short, I am really, really, _really _sorry for lying to you. I promise that I will never do that again."

Holly couldn't help but laugh at his position, and when she did, the tears that she had been holding back spilled out.

"Am I forgiven?" His eyes just looked so. . . desperate to be forgiven that she couldn't help but say

"Yes. I'll get you back for it later," Plans of revenge filled her mind. "But-" She hesitated, unsure of what she really wanted to say.

"Go on."

"Why did you kiss me?"

Artemis stood up, pondering this. Then he leaned close to her and put his lips next to her ear.

"Because I love you."

**Fin**

End Notes: And that's it. Reviews would be just lovely. : ) Thank you for reading! : )


	2. Crazy girlie Captain

**A/N:** I wasn't planning on continuing, but this idea came to mind. I couldn't resist. . . .

**Disclaimer:** *sigh* Don't own it.

"And that's what happened," Holly finished. She was just finishing up telling the commander what had happened when her and Arty had gone back in time. Well, not EVERYTHING. She hadn't gone much into detail about when they were waiting for Mulch by the car, but she had blushed. Unfortunately, Trouble, having known Holly for so long, knew something was up.

"You left something out."

"Did I?"

"Yes. When you were saying that you and Artemis waited for a while by the car, you blushed. I've known you how long now?"

"About ten years," Holly avoided his eyes.

"Exactly. I know you well enough to be able to tell when you're leaving _something_ out. Something important."

"Sir-"

"Don't call me that. Pretend that I'm not the Commander. Just for a few minutes, have a conversation with me like you would have before my becoming commander," he said.

"Well, if we're pretending that you're not the commander, then I don't have to tell you."

"Holly-"

"No. It's personal. Not a work related issue!"

"Oh. Since when have you and the mudboy. . ." he didn't finish, and his tone was suggestive.

"Trouble!"

"Well, you said it was personal, so it's an automatic thing to assume! Tell me what happened Holly. I won't tell anyone; not the Council, Foaly, anyone," Trouble promised.

"He kissed me," she shrugged, making it seem like it was no big deal.

"Wait. You were outside Tara," he started, a memory coming to mind.

"Yes."

"You were on top of the hood of the car, right?"

"I never told you that!"

"I remember now! You and Artemis were _making out_ on the hood of a car!"

"What? How could you possibly know that?" Holly exclaimed.

"You just admitted it, you know," Trouble smirked. Holly blushed.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I was leaving Tara, and saw a human car right outside of Tara. I was a bit concerned, and went to check it out. I really didn't think it was YOU and a _human_ that was making out on the hood."

"Stop using the term 'making out!'"

"Well that's what you were doing!"

Very childishly, Holly stuck her tongue out at him.

"So, was he a good kisser?"

"TROUBLE!"

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. Did he admit his undying love for you?"

Holly stood up. Trouble ran out the door. She started chasing him, threatening to punch him all while doing so. Foaly and a colleague flattened himself against the wall when they ran by.

"Was Captain Short just chasing the Commander and threatening him?" the sprite asked.

"Yup, probably," Foaly said very calmly.

"Crazy, girlly captain," he muttered.

"Just don't let her hear you say that," Foaly said. "Well, at least, not while she has a buzz baton." And he shuttered at a fake memory for effect.

End Notes: So, yay or nay?


	3. Holly's Revenge

**A/N:** So, I kept picturing a scene like this in my head, but couldn't decide what to do with it. Then I realized that it would be perfect on the end of this story. So, here it is.

**Disclaimer:**

Me: If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, Athena. I am NOT doing a disclaimer.

Athena: Yet you label this section as a disclaimer. Also, every time you say you're not going to do a disclaimer, you end up doing one anyway, whether by mistake on purpose.

Me: Well, whatever. I know you've been sick Athena, but that doesn't give you an excuse to. . .

Athena: To what?

Me: I'm not entirely sure. I thought it would sound good.

Athena: Well it didn't.

Me: Oh, I have it now!

Athena: (sighs) Go ahead.

Me: It doesn't give you an excuse to pester me about disclaimers. Ha!

Athena: Wow. Pester. Have you been reading the dictionary or thesaurus again?

Me: (hides dictionary/thesaurus under bed) Nope! I invented that word all by myself!

Athena: (smacks head with hand)

Me: You shouldn't do that. You need the brain cells.

Athena: To deal with you, yes.

Me: You twisted my words!

Athena: Muses tend to do that.

Me: (sticks out tongue)

Athena: Very mature. Sometimes I wonder what grade you're in.

Me: Thank you. So do I. The people in my grade are very immature.

Athena: So, I guess you get along well.

Me: Hey! That's mean!

Athena: (shrugs) What was the point of this again?

Me: To tell the people that I don't own AF and no copyright infringement is intended?

Athena: Ha! You just did it again!

Me: Aw, D'Arvit!!!

Enjoy!

**Chapter 3: Holly's Revenge**

It was a brilliant summer day. The sun was shining, birds could be heard off in the distance, and the sky was a beautiful shade of blue. There wasn't much that was abnormal about the day. . .except for the human and elf walking down the beach toward the dock holding hands. Yup. Nothing abnormal at all.

"Oh, gods. It's so beautiful out! I wish I could live up here all the time," Holly Short commented, closing her eyes and breathing in the sweet surface air.

"Maybe you can come up more often. You could visit," Artemis Fowl replied. She opened her eyes and looked at him suspiciously.

"What are you up to?" she asked.

He tried to look innocent, which was a strange expression for him. "Absolutely nothing! Why do you always suspect me of some sinister plan?"

"Remember when we found your and Foaly's plans to take over the world?" she asked, a smile playing at her lips.

"I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about," Artemis replied, smirking. She hit him on the back of the head.

"Liar. Seriously, though, what are you up to? If you keep coming up with world domination plans, I'll start to think that you're Opal Koboi in disguise."

Artemis flinched. "Holly, it was a joke. You know, haha?"

"Then why am I not laughing?" she asked.

"Maybe you don't know how, anymore," Artemis said, attempting to be funny.

"Oh gods, are you trying to be funny?" Holly asked, pretending to faint.

By this time, the unlikely couple had turned onto the empty dock. Within a few steps, they would be near the end of the dock. _Soon,_ Holly thought. _Soon._

"Now I know you like me, but there's no reason to swoon," Artemis joked. Holly smirked. He was trying to be funny.

"Same old Artemis Fowl. Always has a big head," she muttered, stopping in her tracks. Artemis stepped right in front of her. _This is almost too easy,_ she thought. Holly stood up on tiptoes and placed her lips on his, putting her arms around his neck. He responded the way she had expected: by kissing back. In doing so, he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. So, she just kept pushing him back, until she was sure that he was at the edge of the dock. Her hands moved from his neck to the front of his shirt.

A huge splash echoed around the area as Holly pushed Artemis into the water. He resurfaced quickly and blinked up at her. She was laughing so hard that she was bent double.

"You should have seen your face!" she said.

"I'm sure it must have been hilarious, considering how hard you're laughing. May I ask what that was for?" Artemis asked, putting his arms on the old wood of the dock.

Holly bent down. "That was for lying to me. Consider us even."

"Alright," Artemis said as he grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her head first into the water. "We're even."

When the elf resurfaced, spluttering, she glared at Artemis and splashed him in the face. Before he had a chance to retaliate, she dove under the water and started swimming for shore. When Artemis finally figured out where she had gone, he followed her. The boy had never really been a good swimmer, so by the time he caught up with her, she was already taking her shoes and socks off, along with her jeans, so she could swim. Artemis decided to do the same taking his shirt off instead of the pants, thankfully. He joined her in the water, where the two spent the afternoon swimming and having water fights. When Butler finally came with the Bentley, the two were drenched to the bone.

"I didn't know you were going swimming," Butler commented, as he handed them two towels.

"Yet you still have towels," Artemis said.

"I figured you two would get into trouble somehow."

"She's the one who pushed me in," Artemis said, pointing to her.

"And then he dragged me in, too," Holly argued. They started arguing about whose fault is was, until Butler whistled to get their attention and said,

"Would you children just stop arguing and get in the car?"

It was as if he had turned off a light switch, as they both shut up immediately. They both looked at him and grabbed their stuff. He pointed to the car, and they both climbed in, looking a bit like school children who had just been scolded by their teacher.

As Butler shut the door behind them, a thought crossed his mind. That thought was _old married couple._

**End Notes: **Well that was fun to write! :D Apologies for the long disclaimer. My Muse doesn't know when to shut up. :D

R&R!

Wishing you good day,

Holly Marie Fowl and her Muse, Athena


End file.
